Jan. 8 Letters to the Editor

| January 7, 2013

Filling council vacancy

EDITOR: Congratulations to Susan Gorin on starting her new job as county supervisor. Her new job means there is now a vacancy on the Santa Rosa City Council, which can be filled with another election, costing the city money it does not have to waste, or with an appointment by the council for someone to fill out her remaining term.

I would like to suggest that the council need only look back 60 days to the last election and select the next highest polling candidate as the new member. This would solve the problem with the vacancy in a truly democratic way without any expense to the city or a long, drawn-out political argument among council members who seem to have problems enough without adding another.

GEORGE WILSON

Santa Rosa

Sebastopol drive-thrus

EDITOR: The Jan. 1 article regarding Sebastopol included comments by Vice-mayor Robert Jacob ("Sebastopol sued over ban on drive-thrus"). He said, and I quote, "Traffic and public safety on Highway 116 and Highway 12 . . . is of particular concern. Drive-thrus being of an auto-centric traffic driven use, it seems appropriate we look at how to reduce that impact on Sebastopol as a whole."

My question is this: Is Jacob concerned because it will impact his 10,000 customers who drive to Sebastopol to pick up their prescriptions? Wouldn't it be nice if these customers also had easy access to a pharmacy that sells other prescriptions they might need? And what of the elderly or parents with a sick child? Do they have to get out of the car and go into the store, affecting everyone else, to pick up a prescription?

Sebastopol citizens know that a pharmacy with a drive-thru would help many of us. We who live outside the town limits don't walk to town to shop. So for us auto-centric folks, a drive-thru would be helpful. As to others who live inside the town limit and could walk, except if they're ill, think of the unintended consequences of the council's actions.

NANCY AITA

Sebastopol

Allen's rescue

EDITOR: Michael Allen's latest rescue came just in time. I pictured him in the fetal position rocking in his closet, wondering how he was to survive when the phone rang, and guess what? The clouds parted, and the sun came out again.

Allen entered the closet a rejected loser and emerged a political appointee to another meaningless government board and total waste of taxpayer funds. He will now arbitrarily decide the fate of thousands of employers and employees wronged by the incompetent administrative law judges benefiting from the state system just as Allen will be doing.

What is this new job? Let's do the math: 35 to 50 employment dispute cases per day (let's use an average of 43) five days a week for 52 weeks equals 11,180 cases each year.

How can he possibly get this done? At $128,000 per year, that's only $11.45 each. What a deal. Can anyone really believe this?

Politicians such as Allen, and those who continually support them, are what's wrong with this state. They are like a foul smell in a room that no one will take responsibility for and never goes away.

EDITOR: We all whine, cry and wring our hands and ask, "What has caused this murderous trend of random killing?" and "How and where do &amp;&lsquo;they' learn to carry through such horrific deed?" We all know how and where this violent education comes from. We are all educated 24/7 by violent movies, violent videos and violent games.

At present, there seems to be no legal regulation for this type of film or the people who produce them. This type of media production goes far beyond freedom of speech.

Now is the time for us — you and me — to stand up and shout our outrage and demand that our government take immediate action to stop this violation of our rights.

C.R. RYNIEWICZ

Windsor

Sparing election expense

EDITOR: Responding to Staff Writer Kevin McCallum's excellent article on Friday concerning the vacant seat on the Santa Rosa City Council: There is only one practical choice, and that is to spare the taxpayers further expense and appoint the person who finished next in line in the recent election. All other choices involve additional expense, and the city seems not to be rolling in money. We taxpayers need a break.